USA Swimming Foundation Seeking Director of Major Gifts

1/20/2016

Organization: USA Swimming Foundation

Location: Colorado Springs, CO

Job Title: Director of Major Gifts

Reports To: Executive Director

About USA Swimming Foundation:

The USA Swimming Foundation serves as the philanthropic arm of USA Swimming. Established in 2004, the Foundation works to strengthen the sport by saving lives and building champions— in the pool and in life. Whether we’re equipping our children with the life-saving skill of learn-to-swim through our Make a Splash initiative, or providing financial support to our heroes on the U.S. National Team, the USA Swimming Foundation aims to provide the wonderful experience of swimming to kids at all levels across the country.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director, Major Gifts (DMG) will be responsible to raise funds from individual donors and prospects at the mid and major gifts level (four, five, six, and seven-figure gifts) in support of the organization’s vision and revenue needs. The DMG will solicit, develop and steward a portfolio of approximately 100 to 125 major-level and planned giving donors across a national footprint. The DMG will also contribute to other strategic fundraising initiatives including the annual fundraising plan, grant writing, sponsorship and events. Upon joining USA Swimming Foundation, the DMG will participate in best-practices training in donor portfolio strategy and cultivation, and will also work with a mentor for at least the first three months of employment.

Responsibilities:

• Plan, create, implement and evaluate the major gift program for USASF to meet specific major gift fundraising objectives. DMG will also participate in the planning, implementation and evaluation of the annual fundraising plan, including individual gifts, endowment and planned gifts, trustee council, special events, corporate solicitations and donor stewardship.
• Research, prepare and submit grant requests to foundations and other organizations.
• Supervise the Database Coordinator.
• Research donor prospects for their affinity to the Foundation and its mission, their capacity for giving; set relationship priorities to ensure efficiency in fundraising investments.
• Serve as lead solicitor and steward of mid and major donors by developing strong relationships, cultivating continued interests to the mission of the Foundation and the financial needs of the Foundation.
• Build meaningful, face-to-face relationships with donors, followed by requests for support in the future through face-to-face meetings.
• Support consistent Foundation messaging through all channels to engage the heartbeat of donors and prospects, inviting them to support the vision, priorities and work of the Foundation.
• Serve as a primary point of contact and support for portfolio donors, responding to their interests and other needs in an effective, meaningful way, building trust as a capable and knowledgeable authority of the Foundation.
• Implement and manage fundraising events including Olympic Trials VIP donor packages, Golden Goggle Awards, donor cultivation events, etc. that engage and cultivate donor support for the vision and impact of the Foundation and may provide the opportunity for them to see the work of the Foundation firsthand.
• Cultivate donor relations with those who show passion and special interest for USASF’s vision to “Save Lives” through Make a Splash and “Build Champions” by demonstrating how their investment helps achieve the mission.

• Maintain thorough records of interactions with donors and their contributions in The Raiser’s Edge.
• Regularly provide reports on visits, relationships, activities, results and other key performance metrics compared to goals.
• Assist the Executive Director in developing and soliciting corporate sponsorships.
• Responsible for organizing and selling Olympic and Olympic Trial VIP Packages prior to and during Olympic years.
• As a team member and representative of the organization, actively contribute to the improvement of operations of the Foundation.
• Collaborate effectively with coworkers in a transparent and supportive fashion, enhancing the Development team’s overall performance.
• Responsibilities will be weighted to achieve a target budget; 60% Major Gift Development, 20% Grant Writing, 20% Event Management.
• Will require at least 30% to 40% travel.

Ideal Experience:

• Six to eight years of progressive development experience including at least three to five years of successful, face-to-face, major gift officer experience.
• A proven track record in building strong donor relationships; candidate must produce references supporting a track record of successful relationship building and achieving revenue targets as a Director, Major Gifts.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills. The qualified candidate will convey and express themselves with verbal and written excellence including the ability to share the vision of USASF through story and informational formats, both in written and verbal form.
• The qualified candidate will also have a background and history of successful grant writing demonstrated through candidate-furnished work samples.
• Experience in fundraising analytics, specifically understanding how to use data analysis to identify donor prospects and their capacity and interest to give.
• Personal organization skills utilizing structured major donor prospecting approaches, cultivation and stewardship disciplines, and personal performance based measurement for fundraising success.
• Strong, active listener with dynamic presentation skills with donors; an enthusiastic spirit with demonstrated experience in sharing the “vision”.
• Proven ability to contribute at the strategic level, and the ability to think quickly and creatively.
• Character traits will include a humble and genuine personality, approachable, a reputation of integrity, flexible and emotionally resilient, and the ability to work independently and interact well with all levels of donors, the Board and the Foundation staff.
• Bachelor degree or equivalent professional experience required.
• Experience with The Raiser’s Edge or similar donor database.
• An awareness of, affiliation with, and a passion for the Olympic movement, Olympic Community, elite athletes as well as a passion for swimming and learn to swim will be highly desirable.

Contact:
Marquee Search has been engaged by the USA Swimming Foundation to recruit for this position. If interested in this position, direct all inquiries and resumes to: